The new calculation gives athletes one point each semester for remaining eligible and another point each semester for staying in school. The points for each team then are divided by the highest possible total of points a team could score. That percentage is assessed a point total, with 1,000 being the highest. Schools scoring below 925, or 92.5 percent, could face penalties.

The NCAA will use a statistical adjustment, similar to the margin of error used in presidential polls, to prevent statistical anomalies for teams with few athletes.

The 925 number is sort of the equivalent of a 50% graduation rate, only now it represents how your current team is progressing towards graduation, instead of looking a the actual rate 6 years ago over a 4-year span.

From a penalty standpoint, teams can lose up to a max of 10% of their total scholarships available. So the hoops team can never lose more than 2 free-rides. However, teams are only penalized under the following scenario - 1) the team APR falls below 925, and 2) Any player is a "0-2" (he loses his eligibility AND he does not return).

So if you have a bunch of players in hoops who leave for the NBA but remain academically eligible, it could hurt the team APR and knock it below 925. However, as long as they were all academically eligible when the left, they would not be considered "0-2" - they would be "1-2" and there would be no penalties.

On the converse, if you did have a player who was a "0-2", but the team APR is above 925, it appears to me the school will not be penalized. Confused?

The good news - there is only one sport that falls below the 925 level - baseball, and it appears that our APR with the confidence level applied is above 925 (a fancy way for the NCAA to account for the fact that they only have 2 years of data and in the future it will be a rolling 4 year calculation). In fact here are how our sports stack up.

I decided to take a quick look at the ACC and some sports. Here's a matrix of the big 3 men's sports, sorted by school average APR's of those sports.

Some observations.

1. We bash FSU and Miami as being football factories, but for now they seem to getting their athletes through school. Of course this legislation does not address the difference between a guy majoring in engineering to one majoring in basket weaving. But ok.

2. What on Earth is going on at NCST??

3. It is very interesting that baseball seems to be the major low end of the totem poll in the ACC. On the diamond, ACC teams are not much better than the NCAA average. However, in both football and particularly hoops, the ACC seems to be significantly above the average.

4. The average of all Div-IA teams in each of the major men's sports is below the 925 average. Wow, that's pretty crappy.

I tell you, I think we will regret the day we didn't offer Charles Jackson a 'ship for the hoops. He was one of the top national football players in the country but loved hoops and decided that's what he would do. He ended up signing with Illinois. Now we are out looking for a bigman and the general belief is that he could have been at GT if we had offered him. He is buddies with Lewis Clinch as well. Well, that's the past. Here's mention of Jackson.

"At the end of the day, we all want the same thing," said Steve Shaw, the referee on the SEC's No. 1 officiating crew. "We want to get the call right. Because in today's environment, especially in the South, the uproar over a bad call can last a long, long time."

Just ask Ron Leatherwood. The Waynesville, N.C., resident was on the SEC crew that worked the 1999 Georgia-Georgia Tech game in Atlanta. The score was tied 48-48 with a few ticks left. Georgia had the ball at Tech's 1-yard line and appeared headed for a sure victory.

Instead of kicking a field goal, Georgia handed the ball off to running back Jasper Sanks. Sanks fell short of the end zone, the ball popped loose and Tech recovered. Georgia argued that Sanks didn't fumble until after his knee and elbow hit the ground. Television replays appeared to confirm that.

But the SEC crew awarded Tech the ball and the Yellow Jackets won 51-48 in overtime.

The next day, SEC officials supervisor Bobby Gaston admitted that his No. 1 crew had made a mistake. The entire crew was suspended and, as a result, did not work the SEC championship game as scheduled.

Think that crew could have used instant replay that afternoon?

"Oh yeah," said Leatherwood, who has been calling SEC games since 1992. "That play would have certainly been reviewed. I still get calls about that play."

Coach Gailey has offered another tall physical playmaking wide receiver for the 2006 class - Demaryius Thomas. He's 6'4" 215lb from West Laurens HS in Dublin GA. Story here. Evidently this is his first offer, but will probably have many many more before it is over.

Now here is the problem. There are still too many teams bunched up in the middle, so while 8-8 might get us in the dance, there is still a chance for a 5-way tie at 8-8.

Critical upcoming match-ups include:

Tuesday March 1,VaTech at Clemson (go Tigers)

Wednesday March 2,NCST at Virginia (time for the annual "save Gillen's job" run)

Thursday March 3,Miami at Duke (root for the Devils for once).

Saturday March 5,Maryland at VaTech

Sunday March 6,Wake Forest at NCST

Now in looking at this I see a problem. It appears that either Maryland or VaTech will end up 8-8 in conference - the math cannot prevent it since they play each other as the last ACC game. Since we do not own the tiebreaker with either of these clubs, in order to finish 4th in the conference we actually have to win out at 9-7. At least that's the way it looks to me.

The win is the Yellow Jackets' third straight on the road. While Jack and his teammates celebrated , Hewitt remained cautious when asked if his team is finally playing up to its capabilities.

"We'll see. I don't want to make any predictions," Hewitt said. "If you guard and rebound like we do and some outside shots fall, we're a very, very tough team to handle. That's how we've done it when we've been successful before. So we'll see."

So how do you spell shennanigans? Anyway, evidently there were a couple of students in the Miami section that put up a sign that said "Schenscher - Australian for Sucks". Buzzjacket1 over at the Hive claimed this was what he did at halftime:

Since the picture was put up - I have to let all on hive-nation know - at halftime, myself and my friend walked over to the miami student section, went down to the front row and walked up to the kid with the sign - and I personally took the sign right out of the kids hands. Then, to the displeasure of many, we took off, ran up the aisle, out to the concourse. We then returned to our seats, behind the goal, opposite from student section.... we then screamed to get the attention of the student section, held the sign up and ripped into about 10 pieces... A few UM students came over to reclaim, we gave them the pieces, much to their displeasure (they were not too happy, to say the least). BUT - I saved the piece containing the first 5 letters of Luke's last name - and after the game - we ran into someone who works in the AA - we signed the sign, and were given assurance that it will be delivered to Luke on Monday.

Also, evidently there is a discussion of this over on the Miami discussion board also. And here was the response from the guy who had the sign:

As for the sign - we're not soft, we just never saw them coming. I had just won my plane trip, we were looking at that and getting the score of the Heat game from a cell phone when those two GT "fans" snuck up behind us and grabbed the sign - Hurricane Frank had put it down right by his seat and turned away from it. We didn't even notice the sign was gone until they were already halfway up the stairs, and even then, we sent two guys over to get our sign back (they had ripped it up by then). I can't say for sure what happened over there, but our guys that went over to the GA section where the GT fans were sitting said they challenged the two GT fans, who could only say that "violence is not the answer" and shied away from any confrontation, yet they were heckling some of the kids sitting around them (according to the guys who went over there).

According to police records, Campbell passed three cars by going into an oncoming traffic lane and was pulled over by police. The officer claimed a strong smell of marijuana came out of Campbell's 2003 Denali when he lowered the window.

A search discovered a handgun that had been reported stolen and 16 grams of marijuana. Campbell posted a personal bond and was released.

Vikings coach Mike Tice scheduled an additional 10 interviews with wide receiver draft prospects for Saturday night and issued a not-so-subtle warning to his own embattled receiver, Kelly Campbell, who was arrested on weapons and drug charges in Atlanta on Thursday.

"Kelly has his version of the story that he has told me, and he will get his chance to tell it in court," Tice said Saturday during the NFL scouting combine. "Let him have his day in court. But if there is something to this, I may have to re-evaluate my options with Kelly Campbell. Absolutely."

After this incident and the Angelo Taylor incident I hope I do not have to start a new segment on this site for Police Blotter.

Saturday, February 26, 2005

I was getting worried, but the Jackets pull through in the stretch and beat Miami 76-72. Jack again is the star of the game, dropping 21 points and 4 assists. He hit 2 huge 3pt shots down the stretch.

However, there were some different things we saw this game. Tonight it was the freshman who pulled us through. Jarrett Jack said in the post-game show - "it was the freshman tonight who put us on their backs and carried us to the win". Anthony Morrow got minutes and performed, hitting 4 3pt shots, most coming in a furious stretch late in the 1st half. He was the ONLY guy hitting shots at that time. If it weren't for him we would have gone into the half WWWAAAAYYYY behind. Ra'Sean Dickey had probably his best game of the season, ending with 12 pts, 6 boards (3 off) and went 6-7 from the line. All that in only 17 minutes. Very efficient as usual. Also, Jeremis Smith played 24 minutes, grabbed 8 boards, and 6 of them were offensive boards. He only scored 2 points, but he did the dirty work and was a BIG difference.

BJ Elder was cold again, except for down the stretch when he hit a few important shots. Absent tonight were Luke Schnescher and Will Bynum, who combined for 12 pts, 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 to's. However, I have to give Bynum credit. At the end of the game, he hit a ton of free throws to keep the game out of reach. Didn't miss one when it counted and was 7-7 from the stripe. He is a finisher no doubt.

Listening to this game on the radio, what seemed to be the difference was the rebounding, particularly on the offensive glass. The Jackets outrebounded Miami 42-33 and that included 21 offensive boards - HUGE. But it was the freshman Dickey and Smith who combined for 14 (8 off), while Luke grabbed another 5. So again, the future looks bright on the interior.

With the freshman getting a combined 59 minutes, who sat on the bench more? Well, T-Mac only played 10 minutes and Mario West 6. Muhammad played 14 - all well below their averages, particularly T-Mac and Ish.

But at the end of the day, you can play all the defense you want - you better start hitting shots. And it was NOT the seniors that did it. Yes, Elder hit a couple, but other than that it was Jack, Morrow, Dickey. So much for sticking with the seniors, as Coach Hewitt had said recently. However, he stuck with them against Duke and they didn't get it done against a short-handed team that did everything they could to help us win. Tonights road game might be a wake-up call for the seniors.

A win is a win, and this one won't help us as much as it would have hurt us had we lost. But it is important. With VaTech's loss today, we are now tied with them behind Maryland. MD plays UNC on Sunday and a Terps loss would create a 3-way tie for 4th. Go Tar-heels.

Great win. Great heart. Great determination. Great future with these freshman who showed that they ARE READY!!!! GO JACKETS!!!!

By the way, the erie similarities with last year's finish continues. Last season the Jackets finish the season to end 9-7, including a huge road win over Duke. Could a huge road win against Wake Forest be in order this week, then a close out of 3-0 over Clemson? Certainly possible.

Georgia Tech recruit Alade Aminu had 22 points and 11 rebounds as the Jaguars topped Houston County 63-54 in the second round of the GSHA Class AAAAA boys basketball playoffs at the Macon Coliseum.

Aminu, a 6-foot-9 senior, had three dunks, and 6-2 guard Fred Christopher added two more, including a sensational rebound dunk late in the third quarter.

Aminu made an impact early in the game, scoring 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the first half. The taller Jaguars dominated the offensive glass, often missing easy inside shots but getting multiple chances with their offensive rebounds.

"It was an ugly win, but we'll take it," said Aminu, adding that he thought the emotions got the best of his team at times. "But we'll take it."

Denton Ryan's Austin Jackson and Southlake Carroll's Aaron Luna are on the short list of the state's top high school athletes. And both consider baseball their best sport.

Some free advice for local seamheads: Check out one of the two District 5-5A meetings between these senior standouts this season.

Who's the better athlete?

"That's hard to say," said Jackson, who has played with Luna on the junior national team.

Luna, a power-hitting shortstop who was SportsDay's All-Area MVP last spring, would love to finish his high school career by earning his fourth state championship ring. He contributed on the Class 4A baseball championship team as a freshman and won two 5A Division II football titles as a do-it-all tailback. He'll focus on baseball for at least his freshman year at Rice.

Jackson is a five-tool outfielder who helped Ryan advance to the 4A title game the last two seasons. Baseball America projects Jackson as a first-round pick in the Major League Baseball draft, but he has signed to play basketball at Georgia Tech. He said he will continue his baseball career, but his dream is to play both sports professionally.

Georgia Tech at Miami: Both are widely projected as NCAA Tournament teams, but if so, they're hanging on by their fingernails. For one team, losing this game will pry several of those fingers, maybe even an entire hand, off the ledge. The Jackets (15-9, 6-7) have lost seven of their past 11 games, and have beaten no one more impressive on the road than Clemson and Florida State -- the last-place teams in the ACC. Miami (16-9, 7-7) has lost six of 10 and also has made its living off ACC bottom-feeders. For both teams, winning this game won't be all that impressive. But losing will be pretty bad.

Although Danny Ainge's next move remains uncertain, the executive director of basketball operations will add a player to the roster. Although that player could be Payton, veteran point guard Kenny Anderson, who was waived by Atlanta Thursday, is a strong candidate. Anderson will clear waivers Monday at 3 p.m., and like Walker, he would welcome a return trip to Boston. "I left Boston on a high note and I liked playing with Paul and Antoine," said Anderson, when reached by phone in Los Angeles. "I like the team they have. It would be real comfortable there."

Meanwhile, evidently Anderson is buddies with Flavor Flav, the Public Enemy sidekick and "star" of VH1's "Strange Love".

As he makes that statement via cell phone, Flav (born William Drayton) is holding court in a booth at Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n' Waffles off Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. "Flavor Flav is doing it, boyee," enthuses the manic performer, who still often wears his trademark outsize clock on his chest. "Hollywood!"

The conversation is disjointed, because every few minutes he will put down the phone to gab with a passing athlete ("I'm talking to my boy Kenny Anderson," of basketball's Atlanta Hawks) or actor, such as Faizon Love ("You ever seen 'Friday?' Big Worm just came in and gave me love. Jigga Worm!")

... for the ACC tourney. Evidently the folks at Fenway are interested, but the league is luke-warm on the idea. Certainly the players would kill for the chance.

The Boston Red Sox recently expressed interest in hosting the ACC Baseball Tournament at historic Fenway Park sometime in the future, but didn’t exactly get the red carpet treatment from the league.

Apparently Dee Todd, ACC associate commissioner, who oversees baseball, said, “We’re really interested in Greensboro, North Carolina. We have lots of interest there and a couple [sites] in Florida. Right now, we’re just settling in on the first round of Jacksonville

Lewis Clinch and his unranked Crisp County Cougars win last night to make it to the Elite 8 AAA playoffs. They beat #6 ranked Perry HS. In the 1st round they beat #8 ranked Thomson. In beating Thomson, Clinch was held below his season scoring average, but a win is a win:

The Bulldogs held Crisp County guard Lewis Clinch to 20 points, even though the future Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket averaged 32 points per game during the regular season.

Thursday, February 24, 2005

"One thing is that you had continuity in their team last year, and when Elder got hurt, he got hurt late and they already had that continuity," Krzyzewski said. "He's one of the best players in the country and there's a transition period, especially if it's one of your star players, where everybody has to get acclimated again, including that kid to him and how they run everything, and they're doing that while playing in the ACC. It's not like they're doing it in December or out in Maui. Every game is big and you are playing against good teams."

Then this from Coach K:

"Look, they were close to winning this one tonight," he said. "They are too good and they are too well-coached and they are good kids. It'll happen; I'm just happy that it didn't happen against us tonight."

OFFENSIVE WOES DOOM TECH UPSET HOPESDoes it make you feel better that the Jackets were 6-7 in the ACC at this point last season? Not me. Why? Well, because we were assured a ticket to the dance already with some solid signature wins. This time around there is one - Wake Forest at home in OT.

7. Georgia Tech: We know, we know. The Yellow Jackets might not even be in the tournament, and they top our underachieving list this season. But if nearly the same group that got to the final last season slides in, nobody will want to face this team.

ACC: NCAA tournament selection committee chair Bob Bowlsby (the AD at Iowa) said this might be the most difficult conference to figure out. Wake Forest, North Carolina and Duke are all very good, and Maryland has shown signs, but the rest of the league is a collection of bubble teams. Virginia Tech, Miami (Fla.), Georgia Tech and North Carolina State still have chances to reach the tournament. The Hokies (14-10, 7-6 ACC) have the weakest résumé, but they are ahead of the other three in the league standings.

Jason Varitek [stats, news], Nomar Garciaparra, Jay Payton. Any guesses which of these former Georgia Tech Bulldogs was considered the biggest rising star, the so-called can't-miss-superstar headed to the major leagues?

However, this was not just a one-time goof. This later:

In 1994, when the Bulldogs appeared in the College World Series, Payton had everyone drooling with his .467 batting average. He hit 20 homers and led the nation with 102 RBI in 67 games.

...continues. Remember the story we posted called "The De-Recruitment of Tony Nelson" - link here. To provide a quick summary - Bowden offered and accepted the committment of Tony Nelson, then later withdrew his offer when two better players came along at that position. Bowden used academics as the excuse when the kid clearly would have qualified.

Well, Tommy Bowden has a way with words as their AD had to send out a letter to alumni to address the situation. Here are some of Bowden's quotes this week about the story:

Bowden said it isn't unusual to withdraw a scholarship offer.

"It happens once a year, sometimes twice a year," Bowden said before leaving for a trip to Aruba.

Well, alrighty then..... Then this:

Bowden said a variety of reasons often enter a decision to withdraw a scholarship offer.

"You can lose (assistant coaches) off your staff who might see one thing in a player that the next doesn't see," Bowden said, "or somebody better's going to come along, or you might see academic difficulties. All of these things can figure in these decisions."

Ahh, so you admit it. Someone better DID come along.

Well, at the end of the day this is a business. And two years from now, Tommy Bowden will be judged by the players ON the field, not the ones he DIDN'T sign because he took one kid's early committment in case nothing better came along. Nobody's going to say - "he may be a loser, but he sure sticks to his word, so let's keep him".

Here is the AD's final word:

"I'm not saying (withdrawing the scholarship offer) was a mistake, I'm just saying I'm not comfortable with it," Phillips said. "And, after receiving a report from Tommy, I know (Bowden and his coaches) aren't comfortable with it, either. They felt it was something that had to be done, but that doesn't mean you necessarily feel good about it."

In other words, something better came along and they wanted to take advantage. That's fine. But Tommy-boy, don't think this little incident will go away during recruiting season. You know that story will put put in front of kids with regularity to insert "FUD" into kid's minds. What's FUD? Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt. You made your bed......

"Before you play Georgia and Alabama, do you want to go play at Michigan? I don't," he said. "You have to figure out what you can do that is best for your team."

Tuberville also defended the 2005 schedule when Auburn added Western Kentucky to its schedule after getting dropped by Southern Miss.

"We don't have to apologize for the schedule we play," Tuberville said. "We've got Georgia Tech. You want to put yourself in a scenario where you can have a competitive schedule, but you want to win the SEC. That's your goal."

This is why Auburn wasn't one of two teams playing in the Orange Bowl national title game last season, why the Tigers were stuck in the Sugar Bowl politicking for respect. Respect? Play someone with a pulse outside your conference, then we'll talk.

Wait, I take that back. Aubie played USC in the 2002 and '03 seasons and lost by a combined 47-17. The Tigers also played Georgia Tech in 2003 and lost 17-3. Hence, the reason for last year's brutal nonconference slate of Louisiana-Monroe, The Citadel and Louisiana Tech. And the reason the Tigers weren't playing USC in the Orange Bowl.

In other news, it official - Patrick Carter will be transferring to South Florida. He will work as a wide receiver, but also has his eye on the QB position.

His parents, John and Laura, can see him play closer to home, but that's not why they're excited, he said.

"They're happy I've found a place where I can be happy," said Carter, who will run the 100 meters for the track team as well. "They know that everything's easier when you're happy, and that's when I know I play well."

You hate that GT was not the place for him, because it was looking like 2005 was going to be a potential break-out season for him. I wish him the best.

RECRUITING - RUNNING BACKGT has offered Asher Allen, a smart and talented in-state prospect. Unfortunately it sounds like he favors UGAg. Of course I am sure he would love nothing more than to sit behind their stable of talented backs, all of whom are young and have many years of eligibility. Or maybe he would like to come to GT, where our top 2 RB's will graduate and the ranks are TTTHHHIINNN.

I was scanning the boards to see what people were saying (you know GT overrated, the usual Luke jokes, Reddick the jerk, etc), and I found a couple of funny things that made me laugh. Thought I would share them.

First, this thread called "JJ Reddick could kick ______'s ass.". Then the fun began.

In addition, I ran across this picture from the Duke / Maryland game in Maryland. Check out the MD fan who creatively modified the Duke sign. I love it!

In addition, most ACC fans were embarrased by this game. Yeah, you can give credit to the defense, but not near as much as you would want to. Some comments from around the ACC:

Hewitt and K should be severely punished for allowing this abomination of God to be viewed by people.

is espn playing a big fat trick on us? this is really purdue vs. northwestern, right?

I thought we were going to see ACC basketball tonight on the deuce. I got Jr High here, what did you guys get?

Both teams should be banned forever.

That's two hours of my life that I will never get back.

I am embarassed that these two teams are in our conference right now. Does GT even have a scoring option on the team? 8 pts in 12 min!!!!!!!! I am not even sure this qualifies as basketball.

The saddest part is that Shavlick STILL isn't good enough to get into the game.

I am just going to let this go. Making my head hurt. Not worth it. Will never be an answer for this game no matter how long you ponder it.

This game should be stricken from the ACC records.

Lastly, this from a Wake Forest fan:

GT played like chokers tonight but they will hit EVERYTHING they throw up against us, count on it. They will bank in threes, hit shots while falling down, make all their free throws, and play like madmen and people will say "Wake just can't play defense".

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

I am pacing my hotel room in Opelika Alabama THROWING crap around everywhere. I have never been SSSSOOOOO frustrated at the end of a game. I am not going to single out any players in particular but I want to make some points:

1. Execution. This team had CHANCE AFTER CHANCE AFTER CHANCE AFTER CHANCE AFTER CHANCE AFTER CHANCE AFTER CHANCE..... you get the point. The door was opened repeatedly. That's why this was so frustrating. We could NOT execute down the stretch. When your seniors are not hitting shots and Lee Melchionni is draining critical 3pt shots, what the heck is going on???? But those late shots he hit were about it for Duke. They missed free throws, turned the ball over, gave us every chance in the world, and we didn't take it. We continued our 2nd half scoring draughts that have plagued us this season.

2. Rebounding. Oh man. We get our clocks cleaned on the offensive glass. The most critical of all were at the end of the game - one a long offensive board by Daniel Ewing who was fouled. Then he misses a free throw, but Sheldon Williams grabs the missed FT. Uuggghh.

4. Offense. The trend continues. On the post-game show Coach Hewitt said - "This was not a quality display of offensive ball." and "I have to shoulder the blame for the lack of offensive efficiency". He just has not figured out how to push the right buttons. Coach is still in the best position to determine what those buttons are, but time is running out. How's this for a statistic. In ACC wins we are shooting 38% from 3pt range. In our ACC losses we are shooting 19%. Ouch!!

5. The return of BJ Elder. Well, this is supposed to be our time now, right? Unfortunately we are now averaging fewer points per game since Elder returned compared to when he was out. While I am not overly concerned about the team impact, this may work against us with the NCAA selection committee. If we want them to discount our losses while BJ was out, then we better win while he is back. But to score FEWER points with his return is not going give us much favor with the selection committee.

So what does this mean? Well, bottom-line is that we have to go 2-1 in the remaining 3 games to ENSURE a ticket to the dance. That would put us at 8-8 in conference. That will get us in. That means we better beat Miami and we better beat Clemson, because beating Wake Forest on the road will be 10 times tougher than tonight's game. If we lose 2 of the last 3, then it will take a SERIOUS run in the ACC tourney. A serious run - like Maryland last season.

You know what is really frustrating? This is not a typical Duke team. This is a short-handed, undermanned Coach K squad. Yet they still win, and it ticks me off. A walk-on hits 3 huge back-breaking 3pt shots. Why does that happen for them? I hate that, and it just ticks me off. Coach k is a weasle, a rat, and a whining complainer during games. But here's the thing - their guys keeps winning. He recruits very well off the court and he coaches VERY well on the court. He just gets it done. So I hate him because of it, but I respect what he does.

Want to know the difference between a win and a loss...... 4th place and 7th place. A win tonight and we would have been tied for 4th place. A loss means we are now sole owners of 7th place in the ACC, behind VaTech, Maryland and Miami (and of course Duke, WF and UNC). Ooooouuuucccchhhh!!!!

One last note - I don't fault our team for effort. Those guys were hustling the whole time. They tried hard and gave it their all. Even Luke's missed box-out on that free throw at the end of the game was the result of trying TOO hard. He overcommitted his body and Williams shifted Luke's weight against him. Still ticks me off, but you cannot fault the guys for effort. They left it all on the court.

Time to put it behind this one behind us and just hope these guys can suck it up and get their business done. The stakes just got even higher. The clock is ticking and when the clock strikes 12, let's hope there is a glass slipper that fits.

Jackets get revenge on Ga State with a victory today 11-6...... Here's the box score........ Last year's team set a Jacket record for fielding percentage. They are not on track to do it again. Five more errors tonight.... The good news is that the offense has scored at least 9 runs for the 6th straight game...... The Jackets will take on the Braves March 2nd.

Georgia Tech volleyball all-America Jayme Gergen, football standout Nate Curry and Atlantic Coast Conference track champion Zeb Sion are among the 29 ACC student-athletes who have been named recipients of postgraduate scholarships by the conference, while all-America golfer Nicholas Thompson will receive an honorary scholarship award.

Curry and Sion will receive the Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship, Gergen will receive the inaugural Jim and Pat Thacker Postgraduate Scholarship Award, and Thompson will receive the Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award.

JASON VARITEK HONOREDI didn't realize that Jason has become only the 4th official team captain for the Red Sox in the organization's history. Nice.

ONE-ON-ONE WITH STEVEN BLACKWOODReally nice interview with Blackwood. For anyone who forgets that these kids only have athletics as a part of their schedule, look at this quote:

At Georgia Tech, I have to take my books with me on road trips and often times will study at the field. I am a Biology Pre-Med major and plan to pursue a career in medicine after seeing how far baseball will take me. My brother is a doctor, and I have always wanted to follow in his footsteps down that path.

Remember all that speculation that Micah Owings left because he didn't think he was developing under the current staff? Well's here's what Blackwood says about developing players under Coach Hall:

"Georgia Tech's baseball program has proven itself to be one of the top programs in the country year in and year out. Players from around the country see the success of the program and are drawn to play there. Coach Hall has had success at Tech with developing players and getting them into professional baseball. Many players look to see if the program at the school not only wins games but also develops players and gets them ready for professional baseball, and I can say from personal experience that Coach Hall spends time developing his players and teaching the game."

The local Greenville SC radio morning show "The Opening Drive" was speculating again that Zam "Buck" Fredrick is looking into a transfer. I didn't hear everything they said, but both Clemson and S.Carolina were mentioned as possible schools.

I want to stress - this is only a RUMOR. But of course, it was broadcast on the radio, so I feel some duty to report it to fans.

I just hope Buck sticks it out this season. He has such a bright future with the Jackets, but he just wants to be the man now. I can understand that - he's been a winner all his life. But sometimes these are the experiences that change you from a boy to a man.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Evidently T-Shirts with the logo below will be sold at the Duke game inside Gate 2, to raise money for the Tsunami relief fund. It's not "Luke has a Posse", but not bad at all, and for a good cause. Go get one for $15.

CAGERS HOST #7 DUKE WEDNESDAYOk, we NEED to win this game. We need to punish Duke. We need to avenge 8 straight home losses to these punks. No mercy. Time for the seniors to step up and put the smack-down on Puke.

3. Which team outside the top 25 has the best chance to make the Final Four?

Notre Dame remains unranked even though I've been consistently putting the Irish on my AP ballot (I had 'em 18th this week), but I can't imagine any team would be happy facing Georgia Tech in the tournament. Yes, the Jackets needed a questionable call from the refs and two late free throws from B.J. Elder to edge Florida State on Saturday. But Tech led for virtually the entire game and is showing signs of getting stronger. Besides Syracuse, there won't be any other team in the field of 65 with four starters who played in an NCAA championship game. That's a major plus.

Two weeks ago, former New York City star basketball recruit Sebastian Telfair made an unsubstantiated claim that someone offered him $250,000 to attend Georgia Tech. There is no proof of that allegation, but school officials had to scramble to shoot it down, anyway.

Yeah, by the way, part of the reason they had to shoot it down was the irresponsible reporting behavior of your newspaper.

Which two teams (one good, one bad) have been most surprising so far this season?From Sam,Ohio

Kristi Chartrand - Kansas I have to say I’m totally shocked at what Georgia Tech has or should I say hasn’t done this season. This writer was sucked in and picked them to go back to the Final Four. I didn’t think it was such a reach. Paul Hewitt had almost everyone back on a team that reached the National Championship game. I thought their backcourt was one of the toughest in the nation. Jarrett Jack is big-time and certainly off the bench Wil Bynum is a great sixth man to have. I know B.J. Elder got hurt but they’ve really underachieved as far as I’m concerned. Luke Schenscher isn’t even half the player he was last season down the stretch! I thought they would be the 3rd best team in the ACC. There’s still time to make a run in the ACC tournament but in my mind they’re not even an NCAA tourney team right now. They need to improve their resume down the stretch.

For proof that it's often better to be lucky than good, we present the Yellow Jackets' game-winning play against Florida State. Stumbling out of bounds, point guard Jarrett Jack manages to fling the ball into play under the basket. The ball somehow lands in the hands of teammate B.J. Elder, who, with a four-tenths of a second left, is fouled (well, according to referee Jamie Luckie) as he goes up. Elder's two free throws give Tech a 76-75 win. "That's how it was drawn up," Jack said. "Fumble it out of bounds and throw it back to B.J."

... at least that's what everyone wants you to think. I cannot argue, but for something so "overwhelmingly favored by all parties, why on Earth are we just getting to it.

"Everyone wants as many correct calls as possible," Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey added. "This is a great step toward making that happen."

The Big Ten model differs significantly from the NFL's replay model in that a technical advisor in the press box is solely responsible for considering plays for review, which must be rendered before the next play. Coaches cannot ask for plays to be reviewed, but the technical advisor can review as many plays as deemed necessary.

"I actually think it's better not to put it in the coaches' hands," Gailey said. "If someone's job is to be a replay official, he'll get good at it."

Boswell caught an eye popping 131 passes for over 2000 yards and 25 touchdowns. "He has great hands and he changes directions well in his routes," Frost said. "He runs precise routes. And if it's close to him, he's going to catch it. And he makes great decisions on running the football."

A: I won’t argue with Ohio State number one, but I’d put Iowa a very, very close number two with Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway the best 1-2 in the nation. Darryl Blackstock has declared himself eligible for the NFL draft, but the Virginia linebackers will still be tremendous. I’d find a way to get Georgia Tech’s trio of Gerris Wilkinson, Chris Reis (who's also a safety) and KaMichael Hall in there at number four. Penn State has a killer group coming back as well.

In addition, they think GT/Auburn is one of the best 10 non-conference games this upcoming season:

8) Georgia Tech at Auburn, Sept. 3 – This Yellow Jacket defense should be a killer and could chalk up a huge early win for the ACC.

In those days, freshman were ineligible. The Gators finished 9-2 his sophomore year. According to Libertore his first season was his best. Libertore, who was named SEC Sophomore of the Year, led UF to a win over Baylor in the Gator Bowl and was named MVP of the game. But when asked what his most memorable moment was, it wasn't a bowl win or winning any kind of award.

It was coming out on top in a game between his Gators and Georgia Tech in 1960. Georgia Tech led the Gators 17-10 with less than a minute remaining.

A young quarterback playing in his third game as a starter remained cool and led the Gators to a touchdown on an option pitch out to running back Lindy Infante. Infante's score brought UF to within one. The Gators had a chance to beat the No. 3 ranked Yellow Jackets at Florida Field. So instead of going for the tie, head coach Ray Graves went for two and Libertore completed the comeback with a pass to fullback John McBeth. UF won 18-17.

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Wow, just when you think things are in hand with a 13 point lead and the ball, it all falls apart. A long scoring drought.....again, and before you know it, FSU has the lead with 9 seconds on the clock. Then the Jackets get a huge break when Jack, while stumbling out-of-bounds, shovels a no-look, behind-the-back pass that ends up in the hands of BJ Elder..... who is promtly fouled while trying to get the ball up to the basket..... with 0.4 seconds. Elder calmly drains 2 FT's to put the Jackets up by one, and that was all she wrote, Jackets 76-75.

1. Amazing how when shots are falling, how good this team looks. Amazing how bad they look when they are not. Scoring droughts are becoming a concern, as we have had two very long stretches in the 2nd half of the past two games. In the first half everyone from Elder to Bynum to Morrow to Jeremis Smith were hitting long-distance shots.

2. Defense. It's funny. We seemed to play tough D in the game, yet FSU still managed to shoot 50%. But it came down to open 3's and missed assignments around the hoop - or so it seemed.

3. Playing time was distributed more evenly this game with guys like J-Smith, Morrow, Bynum all getting 13-15 minutes, with West and Dickey loggin 5 and 9 respectively. The two guys who have disappeared from the rotation are Buck Fredrick and T.Tarver. Both were DNP's.

Well, not a lot of time to put much more right now. Headed to Shreveport LA in the morning, then on to Alabama later in the week.

Bragg was a 22nd-round draft choice by Seattle in 1991 out of Georgia Tech. Three years later, he made his big-league debut with the Mariners after having a sensational season at Triple-A Calgary, where he hit .350 with 112 runs, 17 homers, 85 RBI and 28 stolen bases in 1994.

Only 1 semester shy of his GT degree, Emmett Mills left school to join the Navy right after the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor. He passed away last week.

Mills was one semester shy of graduating with an engineering degree from Georgia Tech when Pearl Harbor was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941. He enlisted in the Navy, was commissioned as an ensign and volunteered for submarine duty. Mills served on four submarines in the Pacific Theater of Operations and as captain of the last, the USS Seal. He took part in the sinking of 19 Japanese ships. He remained in the Naval Reserve for many years following the war.

Saturday, February 19, 2005

JACKETS SWEEP DOUBLEHEADER VESUS IONA...and move to 5-1 on the season. Nice to see freshman Danny Payne "stepping up to the plate". He goes 6-7 on the day, with an HR, 2 doubles, 3 singles, 6 runs scored and 6 RBI's. The real key to the sweep though - 23 walks by Iona pitchers. Ouch.

In case you are interested here is Danny Payne's biography:

Talented outfielder who earned the starting job in center field with a strong fall practice ... A left-handed hitter with good power ... Very good baserunner ... Outstanding defensive center fielder who can cover a lot of territory ... Has the talent and potential to be an impact player in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

High School: A four-year letterwinner for coach Dave Audia at Sequoyah High School as a center fielder and pitcher ... Ranked as the No. 11 prospect in Georgia and No. 70 in the nation ... Named the Cherokee County Player of the Year by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2002 and 2004 ... An all-state and all-district selection as a junior and senior ... Owns Sequoyah career records in hits (107), batting average (.464), doubles (26), home runs (17) total bases (192), RBI (90), slugging percentage (.759), innings pitched (168), strikeouts (280), wins (16) and ERA (1.17) ... Played with the East Cobb Yankees during the summer months ... Named MVP of the Connie Mack World Series while leading his team to the championship ... Hit. 470 with 10 home runs and 48 RBI in 158 at bats with the East Cobb Yankees.

Personal: Full name is Daniel Alexander Payne, Jr. ... Born September 8, 1985 ... Son of Dan and Kathy ... Majoring in Management.

By the way, more good news - Tyler Greene was cleared to play Friday and ended Saturday by going 2-8, with 2 runs scored, 3 walks. He did leave 5 runners on base, but not a bad start after coming back from a broken jaw.

Confidence also is a large part of Brown's repertoire, and that part of his game has increased in the past year. But it took one of the most unpleasant days in his career to help him turn the corner.

Brown accidently hit Georgia Tech's Wes Hodges in the jaw in a game last spring, causing blood to flow before the batter could reach the clubhouse.

"That bothered me, but it was just a pitch that got away," Brown said. "But I learned from Coach Thompson, and after we changed some mechanical things, everything just started coming together for me to the point that I am now."

Confidence also is a large part of Brown's repertoire, and that part of his game has increased in the past year. But it took one of the most unpleasant days in his career to help him turn the corner.

Brown accidently hit Georgia Tech's Wes Hodges in the jaw in a game last spring, causing blood to flow before the batter could reach the clubhouse.

"That bothered me, but it was just a pitch that got away," Brown said. "But I learned from Coach Thompson, and after we changed some mechanical things, everything just started coming together for me to the point that I am now."

Which team will really have the committee scratching its head? Georgia Tech could be the team that falls off that cliff. The Yellow Jackets, 14-8 overall and 5-6 in the ACC, have only one win over a team that looks like it's going to the tournament (at home against Wake Forest). This is their schedule the rest of the way: at Florida State, home against Duke, at Miami (Fla.), at Wake Forest, home against Clemson. It could go either way.

Georgia Tech was ranked third in the preseason writers' poll. Now, the defending national runner-up is 5-6 in the ACC and 14-8 overall, unranked and on the NCAA tournament bubble. Also, the Yellow Jackets are 2-4 on the road, 4-6 in their last 10 games, and 4-7 against top-100 RPI teams. They are 49th in the RPI, right behind Kent State, Buffalo and Miami.

We have a World-Class Athlete in Chaunte Howard. She only won her 19th straight competition and 5th straight ACC title and set an ACC high jump record in the process (6' 2.75"). With all the hub-bub around football and basketball, let's not let time go by without ackowledging we have a great representative of Georgia Tech here.

RECRUITING - SHERRON COLLINSA kid who is friends with Will Bynum and who is interested in GT. I found the last part of this quote a bit funny:

Recruiting analysts rate Collins the No. 2 junior in the state behind Jon Scheyer of Glenbrook North. The Crane dynamo already has scholarship offers from a number of Top 25 programs.

Collins also learned how to refine his speed in one-on-one matchups against ex-Crane and current Georgia Tech standout Will Bynum.

"I've played against him the last two years," Collins said. "It was like going against yourself.

"I'd say he got the best of me. But I learned a lot from him. He showed me ways to use my quickness and to not dribble so much."

Are we talking about the same Will Bynum????

RECRUITING - WILL WALKERWhile there is a lot of talk about Javaris Crittendon and Tywon Lawson as the "next" great PG at Georgia Tech, these are not the only guys interested in GT. This talented PG actually has GT at the top of his list right now. Walker is another guard out of Illinois who is ranked by Scout.com as the #10 PG in his class.

"I like Georgia Tech a lot," Walker said boldly. "Miami sounds good right now, Illinois is doing real well obviously. They run a lot with the ball, which I like. I want to see even more of Georgia Tech, however."

The Deacons have the ingredients you must have to beat Duke. They have an incredible point guard. They don't have as physical a point guard as Maryland's John Gilchrist or Georgia Tech's Jarrett Jack, but I would argue that Chris Paul is a more complete guard than either one of them and the best overall guard in the country. I would be shocked if he's not the player of the year in college basketball. He means more to his team than any individual player in the game.

If Georgia Tech fails to make the NCAA tournament, it won't be the first defending national runner-up to do so. The past five teams not to get a bid a year after losing the title game: • Syracuse (1997). A year after falling to Kentucky in the finals, the John Wallace-less Orange lost to Florida State in the first round of the NIT. • Duke (1995). The Blue Devils started 9-3 under Mike Krzyzewski, finished 4-15 under Pete Gaudet when Coach K took a leave. • Seton Hall (1990). The Terry Dehere-led Pirates stumbled to 12-16 a year after taking Michigan to OT in Seattle. • Houston (1985). Things went downhill in a hurry for the Cougars after Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler left. • Indiana State (1980). Life without Larry Bird wasn't the same for the Sycamores, who went from 33-1 to 16-11.

RECRUITING - SHERRON COLLINSA kid who is friends with Will Bynum and who is interested in GT. I found the last part of this quote a bit funny:

Recruiting analysts rate Collins the No. 2 junior in the state behind Jon Scheyer of Glenbrook North. The Crane dynamo already has scholarship offers from a number of Top 25 programs.

Collins also learned how to refine his speed in one-on-one matchups against ex-Crane and current Georgia Tech standout Will Bynum.

"I've played against him the last two years," Collins said. "It was like going against yourself.

"I'd say he got the best of me. But I learned a lot from him. He showed me ways to use my quickness and to not dribble so much."

Are we talking about the same Will Bynum????

RECRUITING - WILL WALKERWhile there is a lot of talk about Javaris Crittendon and Tywon Lawson as the "next" great PG at Georgia Tech, these are not the only guys interested in GT. This talented PG actually has GT at the top of his list right now. Walker is another guard out of Illinois who is ranked by Scout.com as the #10 PG in his class.

"I like Georgia Tech a lot," Walker said boldly. "Miami sounds good right now, Illinois is doing real well obviously. They run a lot with the ball, which I like. I want to see even more of Georgia Tech, however."

The Deacons have the ingredients you must have to beat Duke. They have an incredible point guard. They don't have as physical a point guard as Maryland's John Gilchrist or Georgia Tech's Jarrett Jack, but I would argue that Chris Paul is a more complete guard than either one of them and the best overall guard in the country. I would be shocked if he's not the player of the year in college basketball. He means more to his team than any individual player in the game.

If Georgia Tech fails to make the NCAA tournament, it won't be the first defending national runner-up to do so. The past five teams not to get a bid a year after losing the title game: • Syracuse (1997). A year after falling to Kentucky in the finals, the John Wallace-less Orange lost to Florida State in the first round of the NIT. • Duke (1995). The Blue Devils started 9-3 under Mike Krzyzewski, finished 4-15 under Pete Gaudet when Coach K took a leave. • Seton Hall (1990). The Terry Dehere-led Pirates stumbled to 12-16 a year after taking Michigan to OT in Seattle. • Houston (1985). Things went downhill in a hurry for the Cougars after Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler left. • Indiana State (1980). Life without Larry Bird wasn't the same for the Sycamores, who went from 33-1 to 16-11.

RECRUITING - SHERRON COLLINSA kid who is friends with Will Bynum and who is interested in GT. I found the last part of this quote a bit funny:

Recruiting analysts rate Collins the No. 2 junior in the state behind Jon Scheyer of Glenbrook North. The Crane dynamo already has scholarship offers from a number of Top 25 programs.

Collins also learned how to refine his speed in one-on-one matchups against ex-Crane and current Georgia Tech standout Will Bynum.

"I've played against him the last two years," Collins said. "It was like going against yourself.

"I'd say he got the best of me. But I learned a lot from him. He showed me ways to use my quickness and to not dribble so much."

Are we talking about the same Will Bynum????

RECRUITING - WILL WALKERWhile there is a lot of talk about Javaris Crittendon and Tywon Lawson as the "next" great PG at Georgia Tech, these are not the only guys interested in GT. This talented PG actually has GT at the top of his list right now. Walker is another guard out of Illinois who is ranked by Scout.com as the #10 PG in his class.

"I like Georgia Tech a lot," Walker said boldly. "Miami sounds good right now, Illinois is doing real well obviously. They run a lot with the ball, which I like. I want to see even more of Georgia Tech, however."

The Deacons have the ingredients you must have to beat Duke. They have an incredible point guard. They don't have as physical a point guard as Maryland's John Gilchrist or Georgia Tech's Jarrett Jack, but I would argue that Chris Paul is a more complete guard than either one of them and the best overall guard in the country. I would be shocked if he's not the player of the year in college basketball. He means more to his team than any individual player in the game.

If Georgia Tech fails to make the NCAA tournament, it won't be the first defending national runner-up to do so. The past five teams not to get a bid a year after losing the title game: • Syracuse (1997). A year after falling to Kentucky in the finals, the John Wallace-less Orange lost to Florida State in the first round of the NIT. • Duke (1995). The Blue Devils started 9-3 under Mike Krzyzewski, finished 4-15 under Pete Gaudet when Coach K took a leave. • Seton Hall (1990). The Terry Dehere-led Pirates stumbled to 12-16 a year after taking Michigan to OT in Seattle. • Houston (1985). Things went downhill in a hurry for the Cougars after Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler left. • Indiana State (1980). Life without Larry Bird wasn't the same for the Sycamores, who went from 33-1 to 16-11.

RECRUITING - SHERRON COLLINSA kid who is friends with Will Bynum and who is interested in GT. I found the last part of this quote a bit funny:

Recruiting analysts rate Collins the No. 2 junior in the state behind Jon Scheyer of Glenbrook North. The Crane dynamo already has scholarship offers from a number of Top 25 programs.

Collins also learned how to refine his speed in one-on-one matchups against ex-Crane and current Georgia Tech standout Will Bynum.

"I've played against him the last two years," Collins said. "It was like going against yourself.

"I'd say he got the best of me. But I learned a lot from him. He showed me ways to use my quickness and to not dribble so much."

Are we talking about the same Will Bynum????

RECRUITING - WILL WALKERWhile there is a lot of talk about Javaris Crittendon and Tywon Lawson as the "next" great PG at Georgia Tech, these are not the only guys interested in GT. This talented PG actually has GT at the top of his list right now. Walker is another guard out of Illinois who is ranked by Scout.com as the #10 PG in his class.

"I like Georgia Tech a lot," Walker said boldly. "Miami sounds good right now, Illinois is doing real well obviously. They run a lot with the ball, which I like. I want to see even more of Georgia Tech, however."

The Deacons have the ingredients you must have to beat Duke. They have an incredible point guard. They don't have as physical a point guard as Maryland's John Gilchrist or Georgia Tech's Jarrett Jack, but I would argue that Chris Paul is a more complete guard than either one of them and the best overall guard in the country. I would be shocked if he's not the player of the year in college basketball. He means more to his team than any individual player in the game.

If Georgia Tech fails to make the NCAA tournament, it won't be the first defending national runner-up to do so. The past five teams not to get a bid a year after losing the title game: • Syracuse (1997). A year after falling to Kentucky in the finals, the John Wallace-less Orange lost to Florida State in the first round of the NIT. • Duke (1995). The Blue Devils started 9-3 under Mike Krzyzewski, finished 4-15 under Pete Gaudet when Coach K took a leave. • Seton Hall (1990). The Terry Dehere-led Pirates stumbled to 12-16 a year after taking Michigan to OT in Seattle. • Houston (1985). Things went downhill in a hurry for the Cougars after Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler left. • Indiana State (1980). Life without Larry Bird wasn't the same for the Sycamores, who went from 33-1 to 16-11.